Cocktail of the Week: Hot Buttered Rum

If you are like me, you enjoy the opportunity to get shivery cold. Because it makes for an excuse to make this old favorite winter time draught! Guaranteed to warm the very cockles of your heart. It has also been quite successful in keeping yeti at bay. We haven't had a yeti assault at the League Manor... ever!

For your yeti repellent, you will need:

1 tsp of sugar

2 oz of good rum. (Captain Morgan, Bacardi, those will suffice.)

1 piece of butter, about 1/4" off a stick.

A good dash of each of the following:

Fresh Ground Nutmeg

Fresh Ground Allspice

Fresh Ground Clove

Fresh Ground Star Anise (just one part of the "star")

Put a kettle on and boil some water. Once it's crying out for your attention, place the ingredients in a tumbler or coffee cup, and fill with the hot water. Enjoy!

A note: You might see me harp again and again on "fresh ground" spices. So many of the recipes I plan to share with you call for spices, fruit, et cetera. Spices, when ground, lose their flavor in short order. The bottled stuff you find at your local grocer is expensive, and so much colored sawdust compared to grinding your own. Look at your local "ethnic" markets, or even Pier One (should you have one near) as they sell smaller quantities for much more reasonable prices. Get yourself a microplane grater and a small mortar and pestle. (Marble, if you can afford it.) and give it a try. Your palate will hug you!